SSIS Interview Questions & Answers for Fresher, Experienced

Introduction

Are you going to shape the career as an SSIS professional? You have reached the right place then; here we are going to cover all of the possible questions that can be asked to an experienced or fresher candidate for SSIS. Many reputed companies are offering jobs to these professionals. So, you can still move ahead in your career by learning SSIS. We have included a complete list of questions that can be asked to the professionals by interviewers in 2020. They can help you in cracking the interview for the SSIS profile -

SSIS Interview Questions Answer for Fresher

2.1.  Explain or Define the SSIS.

SSIS is known as SQL Server Integration Services that is a component of Microsoft SQL Server. It can be used to accomplish a wide range of data migration tasks. It is an ETL tool that is mostly used to handle data extraction, transformation, and load operations. Apart from ETL tasks, it can also handle many other tasks like data profiling, file system manipulation, etc. Many batch operations can be performed in SSIS by using VB.Net or C#.Net languages.

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2.2.  Enlist important SSIS components of the package.

Important SSIS components of the package are listed below:

• Data Flow
• Control Flow
• Event Handler
• Package Explorer

2.3.  Explain the control flow integration of SSIS.

Through the control flow option, you can logically and graphically link the tasks and program them graphically. The three logical connectors that are used in SSIS are success, failure and complete. By using FX (expression) you can handle more complex conditions of the control flow.

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2.4.  Enlist the types of containers that can be used with SSIS packages.

SSIS has below-listed containers that are basically used to group the tasks together:

Sequence Containers: They are basically used to group similar tasks. Sequence containers are like an organization container that is used for complex SSIS packages.

For the loop containers are used to execute any task for a particular number of times, like if you want to update the records ten or more than 10 times then you can use “for” loop containers. Here the user needs not create ten different packages to execute or complete the task, nor you need to run the whole package ten times while scheduling the job.

If you don’t know ahead of time means the number of times for which the task will be executed, then you can use it for each loop container. Like if you want to delete all files from any particular folder and you don’t know the number of files that are contained in the folder, then by using for each loop you can select the files and delete them at once, in this container you will be informed when all of the files will be deleted.

2.5. How can the deployment utilities be created?

When development packages are converted to the executable packages then it is known as deployment. SSIS packages can be directly deployed by right-clicking the projects of integration services and building it. After selecting deployment, the ‘package.dtsx’ the file is saved in the project bin folder. Moreover, by the deployment utility, the packages can be directly deployed at any location or SQL Server. Below-listed steps are followed to create the deployment utility:

Right-click on the Project and select properties

Select “True” to create Deployment Utility Option, you can also set the deployment path. After making changes, close the window. Now build the project by right clicking on it.

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In Bin folder a deployment folder will be created of the main project location. Here, find the manifest the file, by double clicking on this you can find the deploy package on SQL Server

2.6.  Explain the data flow in SSIS.

Data flow from the corresponding source to the desired destination is known as the data flow.

2.7. Define a task in the SSIS.

A Task is just like the programming language methods, that carry or represent an individual work or task. Tasks are of the following two types:

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1. Control Flow Task
2. Database Maintenance Task

2.8.  List various types of files or connections that support SSIS.

Various connection types that work within SSIS are:

• Excel
• .NetSQLClient
• Flat File
• XML
• ODBC
• OLEDB

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2.9.  Explain the Precedence Constraint in SSIS.

The logical task sequence can be defined by precedence constraint, logical sequence is basically the order of the tasks in which they should be executed. All tasks can be connected by using precedence constraints.

2.10.  What are the connection managers in SSIS?

Connection managers are found much helpful at the time when data has to be gathered from various sources to write it to any desired destination. Connection managers provide much useful information to the system like server name, data provider information, database name, and authentication mechanism, etc.

SSIS Interview Questions Answers for Experienced

3.1 What is a data profiling task in SSIS?

The process of analyzing the source data for better understanding and organizing it properly is known as data profiling. In this process, various tasks related to data like cleaning of data, identification of data patterns and numbers or nulls in data is known as data profiling. Data profiling step is performed when a project starts or at the beginning of the project development cycle and it supports database destination design schema. While developing normal recurring ETL packages this task is not usually used.

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3.2. Differentiate between Union All and Merge operations.

Data from two paths can be merged into a single path by Merge transformation. This transform is found useful when the data flows through a path that can handle certain errors and merge back it into the main data source. Prior to merging transformation data should be sorted that can be done by using sorting transformation. For all paths metadata must be the same as the customer id field type cannot be numeric type is one path and character type in another. Union All transformation works like the Merge transformation, but here in this transformation sorted data is not required. Here the output from multiple sources is taken and then it is transformed and combined to form a single result set.

3.3. What is the Execute Package task?

The Execute Package Task helps the user to create parent packages that can execute the child packages. When any package starts growing then this capability is found much useful. Package separation into separate workflows makes testing and development process shorter and helps in development practices as well. The majority of the configurable properties are found in the Task editor of the Executable package.

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3.4. Explain the precedence constraint in SSIS.

The Logical task sequence is defined by the precedence sequence. The logical sequence is the sequence of the task in which their execution is being performed. All tasks can be connected by using connectors precedence constraints.

3.5.  Explain the SSIS checkpoint.

The project can be restarted from the point of failure when checkpoints are specified. File information is stored by the checkpoints, if the package is being run successfully then the checkpoint file is being deleted or else the file restarts from the point of failure.

3.6. What is event logging mode property?

All tasks and SSIS packages have a property that is known as Logging Mode. The three values that are accepted by these properties are:

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• Enabled: Is used to logging of the component
• Disabled: Is used to disable the components
• UseParentSetting: Is used to optimize the parent’s setting

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3.7.  What are the different data viewers’ types in SSIS?

Various types of data viewers in SSIS are listed below:

• Histogram
• Grid
• Column Chart
• Scatter Plot

3.8. What is the precedence constraint?

The task execution is performed only when the specified condition is being satisfied. As per the condition satisfied the corresponding path is adopted by the task. It may have the following listed three parameters:

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Completion: When the preceding container execution gets completed regardless of the success or failure of the task, only then the workflow gets preceded.

Success: When the preceding container gets executed successfully, then it is marked as successful and is represented by a solid green line.

Failure: When the preceding container execution gets failed, it gives the red color line as an indication.

Constraint/Expression with Logical AND: When any constraint evaluates to true then execution gets evaluated. A solid color line indicates the expression’s control flow.

3.9.  What is the conditional split transformation in SSIS?

Conditional Split transformation is just like IF condition, it checks for the condition and evaluated the expression accordingly.

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3.10. Enlist the possible locations to save SSIS packages.

SSIS packages can be saved in the following locations:

• SQL Server
• File System
• Package Store

Final Words

SSIS tool is used by the database experts and can be used by them to manage the transformation. The tool has various functions that can help the users to manage the database operations. Here, we have discussed all of the possible questions that can be asked to any fresher or experienced candidate for this profile. The questions are not limited even if you can find many other questions that can be asked during the interview but in-depth learning of questions will help you to gain more confidence in your career.

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